You are here

Home » Hemopet Needs Your Help to Continue with Care and Support of your Dog's Companions

Hemopet Needs Your Help to Continue with Care and Support of your Dog's Companions

Dear Friend of Hemopet:

I regretfully announce that Hemopet - the non-profit canine blood bank is in peril due to an unfounded attack from PETA against our Greyhound programs that is alleging animal abuse and trying to close us down.

Lifesaving blood transfusions for dogs across America have been provided by Hemopet, the non-profit canine blood bank I started 25 years ago. Our services to you are now being endangered by these slanderous and libelous PETA accusations.

While these accusations are outright lies, they pose a threat to our ability to continue providing 40% of the nation's lifesaving canine blood. Each year our blood is used to treat about 7,000 dogs. So, the consequences of a Hemopet closure would be disastrous to the health of pets across our nation.

Canine blood is donated by Hemopet for police, military and security dogs across the nation when they are injured or shot in the line of duty. Hemopet blood is also donated when search and rescue dogs are injured trying to save lives. For 25 years Hemopet has been able to take in and house thousands of greyhounds retired from racing and get them ready for adoption as loving family companions. During this time, these Greyhounds, which have been pre-selected for the true “universal donor” blood type, donate a pediatric unit of blood twice a month for not more than a year. Transfusions of their blood have saved tens of thousands of dogs across America. When a dog is hit by a car, in need of surgery, or has many types of illness, an immediate blood transfusion is often needed to save that life.

It is important to note that PETA’s lies about the treatment of our Greyhounds are not supported by any independent facts. Hemopet is licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and subject to their annual inspections as well as visits at any other time. We have always been given exemplary reviews.

Amy Taxin of the Associated Press described her recent Hemopet visit. Her article compliments our programs and services, although it doesn’t emphasize the legal California requirements for licensed “closed colony” commercial animal blood banks. These requirements provide a medically superior and safer blood supply. The safety, efficacy, logistical and cost issues of using volunteer animal blood donors is oversimplified – because they are not screened each time for transfusion-transmitted diseases before releasing the units for veterinary use.

In the State of California, individual veterinary hospitals are not allowed to operate their own community-based animal blood banks, and can only supply themselves from licensed “closed colony” commercial animal blood banks like Hemopet. They can operate a community-based animal blood bank for their own purposes, but just not distribute or sell these blood products to others. All states accept these California standards for animal blood banking, and thus we are allowed to ship our blood products throughout the US. More information can be seen on the “Fido and Wine” video link below.

Thank you for being a supporter of Hemopet. We are now celebrating 25 years of our charitable programs and services. Please help us continue our good work with a donation that will allow us to continue the care and support of our greyhounds, until they are adopted as family companions, and to assist us in being viable in defeating this outrage. 100% of your donated funds will be used for the care and well-being of our greyhounds. Please share this message with your friends.

Contact Us & Comments

Members Only Log In

The members of the American Shih Tzu Club welcome you to the wonderful world of Shih Tzu! Nothing is more important to us than the welfare and perpetuation of these remarkable companions. Generations of breeders in the United States have sacrificed their time and energy to preserve and improve this uniquely lovable breed. It is our goal to continue this legacy by providing as much information and education as possible to ensure that purebred Shih Tzu and their owners will always be held in the highest esteem by all who encounter them.